this post was submitted on 15 Dec 2024
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I reeeeeaallly hate how almost all people see fast travel at plane speeds as a commodity and a basic need. It just isn't true, every flight is borrowed from our future, most of the other citizens of this world don't have access, and still people are like "8 h instead of 4 h for 1000km just isn't practical" yeah! Because it's 1000km why does everybody think their entitled to traveling by jet, when this has been a luxury not present in history, not present for most people that live right now and will not be present in the climate crisis that is our current future.... π« π« π«
8h city center to city center is pretty comparable to 4h flight 2h wait beforehand, 30m bag collection, and 2x45m to and from the airport
Also 8h is sleeper train territory. Don't consider it a vehicle, consider it a hotel teleporting you from city to city.
Sleeper trains are peak luxury travel right after private jets and yachts.
Since this is a direct route and you don't have to change trains it isn't that much of a luxury. Just bring some headphones a pillow and an alarm on your phone and you can comfortably sleep through the journey.
Sleeper trains are 40 eur for a dorm, and you skip on having to pay a hotel. That's not luxury travel.
Not if luxury means expensive only. But being transported in bed from city to city sounds like luxury to me ever if it's a cheap.
8h train journey is really nbd. Especially if it's a direct connection. On the ICE you will also get better food than on the flight, you get to stretch your legs and can bring way more luggage without paying an arm and a leg.
I'd pick an 8h train over a 4h flight for Berlin -> Paris in a heartbeat. Even if the flight would end up being slightly quicker including travel to and time spent at the airports (which it might not be). With the train you can at least sit down with your laptop or whatever and just chill the whole time. When you're flying you're spending a lot of time waiting in queues, walking around the airport and changing modes of transport.
Any flight is usually +2 hours beforehand, +1 hour after and that doesn't even include travel to a city centre.
I'd much rather travel at most 1hr more, whilst being allowed to bring my own food or drink and significantly more luggage.
Also: no (or minimal) security checks, instead of the whole Airport Security Theatreβ’
I find it depends very much on where you live. Traveling within the Schengen generally involves less time due to no passport control and even less if your airport isnβt a busy one. I can usually get away with arriving 45 mins in advance (sometimes 30) and Iβm out of the airport 20 minutes after touchdown.
Edit: I do agree with your thesis though.
Once a luxury is present for long enough, it becomes normal. You cannot be angry at masses of people for wanting to enjoy their life.
Your points are not invalid, it's not sustainable and likely won't be for some time, but many things are a luxury only available to a few in the present (e.g. MRI scans, 50" TVs, car capable of going +100km/h, 3+ electronic devices per person). No one is ready to give up their luxuries, especially when others still have more.
One of them is not like the others.
(Accessibility to MRI scans should not be luxury (as it is true for accessibility to any given medical procedure).)
what? of course i can be mad about people enjoying their life if it is causing direct harm to other people in the present and the future! why shouldnt I ? this is a zero sum game: somebody is and will be paying the price!!!
also "especially when others still have more" is considering how fucking rich we are a sentence dripping with greed.
Reminds me of this article from the Low Tech Magazine.
idk man, at least for germany i have the opposite impression: it is a integrated system and if you dont live in a large city it would be very usual to combine high speed legs with regional trains. heck i even mostly cross the dutch-german border on regional trains. in germany at least there has been a huge jump in accessibility of regional and interregio trains with the introduction of the "germany-ticket" which grants access to all public transport which is not high-speed across all germany for 50β¬ p/m (which unfortunately will already rise to 60β¬ with the start of Β΄25 which i am so mad about). I dont see high speed rail as a problem in germany.